A Rose by Any Name
by Vixen Uchiha
Summary: A rose is still a rose no matter what any one calls it. Kitsunes will always be tricksters. Family will aways be there for onther. Inari will look after her children. Those are the facts that all kitsunes live by. Crossover with Yu Yu Hakusho.


-1Disclaimer I do not own Naruto nor do I own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do thank the owners for letting use their stuff for my stories.

I stood up from my sleeping roll and my kit whimpered from the loss of heat. "Show yourself," I said.

"That is just the trait I'm looking for." The person emerged from her hiding place, and I dropped to my knees, both from realization and astonishment.

"Inari-sama," I began, "it is an honor to be in your–"

"Kurama-san, let us sit and talk," Inari interrupted me, taking a seat on the ground. I nodded silently and sat between my god and my kit, to which my god simply smiled. "Have you heard of what happened to Kyuubi?" Inari asked.

A nod was my answer; what happened to Kyuubi had placed a black mark upon all kitsune names. Inari continued, "It was brought into light that Kyuubi was tricked into attacking the village." A momentary pause. "... It seems a man by the name of Orochimaru used him– cheated death as well."

"I cannot stop him," I replied. I glanced over to my kit, before looking back to my god, Inari-sama. "I have a kit to worry about."

Inari-sama just laughed. "We do not want you to do that, for his defeat has been written. What we want to do is go watch over the kit."

I was speechless.

"I get new bwover?" was said from behind me. I turned to find my daughter sitting up in our sleeping roll, rubbing her sleep eyes with the back of her small hands. Inari laughed, good-natured, at the sight of my daughter. Small moonflowers were bloomed throughout her hair.

"All we ask is what you think of looking over the young kit," Inari said. I turned back around to give my answer— that I would at least think on it, but to please allow me some time— but Inari was gone. There was a folder in the place she once sat. I sighed before picking the folder up and placing it in my bag, where it would rest untouched until morning. My daughter had fallen asleep again, and I soon joined her in slumber, the request weighing heavily on my mind.

---

I sighed as I pulled one of the fish away from the fire to cool. As usual, I had been the first to wake up, and as usual I had made us both breakfast. "Morning sweetpea," I said as my daughter returned from the land of nod. She smiled at me and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. I picked her up and carried her to a bush that lined the outer part of our campsite for the night. It did not take her long to use the restroom.

I sat her down and handed her the lukewarm fish– it was nearly cooled. "Be careful," I told her. "  
It is still a little warm." I paused for a minute to look at her and smiled. "Did you have a good dream?"

I held back a small laugh as she nodded profusely. "I dramt I got a new bwover," she explained, her words harder to understand than usual because she had a mouthful of fish.

"Sweetpea, you do remember that we are going to take care of a family member in Konoha, right?" I asked her. I knew she did not know about it; however, if she did not know she was telling a little white lie, then it would be best. She scrunched up her face in thought, and I awaited her answer. 

"Yup," she told me, nodding.

"Do you want your moonflowers today?"

"Silly, moonflwrs are night flwrs," she told me with another mouthful of fish.

"Yes, how silly of me," I said, ruffling her hair. The moonflowers disappeared and a crown of new flowers took their place.

"Let's get packed up," I told her once she had finished her breakfast. She nodded and tried to help. I smiled, following after her and fixing small messes she left in her wake, in her attempts to help tidy up the camp.

---

I shifted Nekkyo's weight as I jumped from the tree to the path below. "Wake up, sweetpea; we're almost to the village," I whispered to her gently. She shifted on my back. "Mu no slep,"was her slurred reply. The sleepy tone of her voice made me smile.

"Wow!" she yelled as we came across the hilltop, gawking at the sight just as any small child would do.

"Wow, indeed," I said at the sight of the village before us.

"I walks," was the only thing Nekkyo said before jumping off my back. It took us a little longer to get to the village, seeing as how Nekkyo thought she was a big girl and could walk.

When we reached the village, we were greeted by the words of a person guarding the gate: "Halt! State your name and reason for entering Konoha." I smiled and pulled out the papers that had been in the folder.

"My name is Uzumaki Kurama; this is my daughter, Uzumaki Nekkyo. We are here to see some of our family residing in this village, and also to see if we can make this village our new home," I explained to them.

One of the other guards chimed in, "You best go see the Hokage."

"Why?" I asked, picking Nekkyo up.

"It is about your family," the same guard replied. "I will take you to him."

I nodded. "Alright. Then may I know the name of our escort?"

He gave his reply, complete with a polite, small bow. "Umino Iruka."

"Thank you... Please, call me Kurama," I said in response. He nodded and began to escort us into the village.

---

It did not take us long to get to the tower. "Umino-san! It is good to see you again," the lady at the desk said. She noticed me soon after. "Hello to you, Miss...?"

"Uzumaki."

She blinked, then glared.

"We need to see the Hokage, Ami-san," Iruka said.

"Go right in," she replied a bit bitterly.

---

"Umino-san, to what do I owe this pleasure?" the Hokage asked.

"Mommy, tat not uncey," Nekkyo spoke up.

I sighed. "I see that." I sat her down on the floor. "Stay put... Is there a place we can talk alone, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage looked at me curiously. "Just who are you, miss?"

"Uzumaki Kurama, and the last thing I was told was that my brother-in-law was the Hokage of this village," I replied. He stood to his feet.

"Follow me," he stated. "Iruka, watch over her daughter. Dog, please go and get Naruto-kun for me." 

"Hai, Hokage-sama," was said from the shadows of the office.

"I was not aware that onkei had family," he said, to which I sighed.

"I was somewhat a black sheep of the family. I left with the man I wished to spend my life with against my family's wishes. My sister was the only one to keep in touch with me. After all, she knew what it was like to be in love. She told me... that if I ever wanted to come and visit, I could. It has just taken me a while. I did not work out between me and my love like I thought it would," I explained.

He rested his hand on my shoulder. "Then I am truly sorry. Your sister died in an attack on our village four years ago," he explained to me with the sincerest regret. I sat down in the chair– well, I meant to, but hit the floor instead.

"Miss, miss...!" was said by the Hokage as he knelt down in front of me. I inwardly thanked Mother for making me attend Drama in school.

"What... What of her husband and son?" I asked. "She wrote about them once. She said they named him Naruto... It was the only name they both liked."

Nekkyo squealed from the other room before I could finish my sentence well. The Hokage moved really fast for a man his age, and I was slightly surprised, but that was beside the point; I moved just as fast. I smiled at the sight that greeted me. My daughter was holding onto a very nervous little boy that looked just a little older than she, even though I knew him to be five; she was only three. It spoke of how the boy was treated. 

"Nekkyo, dear, you're scaring him," I told her. Her eyes widened and she let him go.

"Momma, he ouw blood," she said, pointing to the boy whom just had to be Naruto, or so I guessed.

"What do you mean, lady?" he asked. I knelt down until I was almost level with him.

"I would like to know what that means as well," the Hokage indirectly asked, curious.

"Our bloodline is awaken in him. It was to my best knowledge that my sister never awakened hers, but it seems that her son has. The marks on his face prove that much," I said. 

"You–nor your daughter– have any marks," the man I knew as Dog said.

"We are female; only the males have marks on their faces," I responded.

"You mean.. We are family?" asked Naruto. I could see fear in his eyes.

I smiled. "Yes, we are."

"I hate to sound like I do not want young Naruto to have family, but we need proof of blood to make sure," the Hokage said.

"That... will be a problem," I said, standing up. Nekkyo went back over to Naruto and clung to him.

"Why, unless you're lying..." Iruka said, moving closer to Naruto.

"Can I borrow a knife?" I asked. The Hokage nodded and I was handed one of Dog's. I raised my hand and cut it. They all gasped. "Look at it closely," I said, keeping my hand in view.

"It's healing," all of the adults (minus myself) chorused.

"Our bloodline makes it impossible to let needles in the small wounds– they just heal too fast to draw blood," I said.


End file.
